Students and Staff from Meridian High celebrate GCSE results

Students and staff at Meridian High School were celebrating today when the GCSE results were revealed.

Head teacher Martin Giles said: “It’s been a joyous morning for me, seeing so many deservedly delighted students. This is a year group that has come a long way. Their resolve and maturity, coupled with the hard work of our wonderful staff and teachers, means Meridian High can justifiably be pleased with our strong improvements this year.”

“The results this year demonstrate that students of all abilities and backgrounds can make outstanding progress,” he added

Head Girl Tayla Lock got seven 9s, one 8 and one A* and is off to Trinity School sixth form in Shirley to do maths and science. She was delighted with the result and her mum, Helen Sellars, said: “I feel so elated and happy for her. She spent every evening revising.”

Senior assistant head teacher Georgina Watson added: “Tayla gives it everything; she worked so hard. She’s always been exceptional but to get that many 9s was just brilliant.”

Chenille Smith, deputy head girl, got eight passes, including English and maths, which she had worried she would not do well at, and a BTEC in sport.

“I’m overwhelmed, to be honest,” says Chenillle, who admits she didn’t work hard until Year 8.

“I used to be quite naughty; I was against the world; I hated school. Then I started to look at successful people and it made me think I could be one of those people. I realised that unless I turned my life around and started working hard at school I wasn’t going to have a career or be a success at anything. If I had not changed my attitude I would have got 2s and 3s today.”

Chenille has accepted a place at the Pick-up Academy football foundation, where she will study sport science. She has been playing football since she was eight-years-old and is a member of the Crystal Palace Academy senior team and would like to become a professional footballer.

Radiia Mohamed, one of the senior prefects, got three 9s, two 8s, a 7 and two 6s.

“I feel so relieved,” she said. “I feel like crying but I’m glad I’m not!”

Radiia hopes to go to Langley sixth form to do A levels in maths, biology and chemistry and later study medicine and become a doctor.

Kenny Roberts, a senior prefect, passed eight GCSEs, with better grades than he had expected. He’s going to North Kent College to study TV and film and hopes to become an actor. Kenny said he struggled with his mock exams so was really pleased with his results.

“I used to be quite lazy but my teachers stepped up to help me change my attitude and showed me what I needed to do, and they gave me the motivation to start revising,” he said.

Helena Eduardo passed eight GCSEs, with her best grade being a 9 for English Literature.  She is going on to Langley Park sixth form to study English Literature, history and sociology at A level and is interested in later becoming a lawyer. Her top tip for exam success is to use flash cards to help commit facts to memory; and to make sure you really understand the question before you start to answer it.

Tyler Hall got eight passes, including 7s in maths and chemistry, and is going to sixth form college in Coulsdon to study maths, chemistry and physics with a view to eventually becoming an engineer.
“I feel good,” he said. “I spent a lot of time and effort on preparing for the exams, but I enjoyed it.”

Saima Ali passed nine GCSEs, including 7s for her best subjects, Englsh Language and Literature. “I’m very pleased; I put in a lot of work every single day,” she said.
Saima is going to Coloma sixth form college in Shirley to do A levels in biology and chemistry and hopes to go to university to study medical science.

“The teachers were really helpful and really helped get me to where I wanted to be,” she said.

After both gaining nine GCSEs with similar grades, plus certificates in IT skills, twins Ivy and Laura Manson say they helped each other revise for the exams. Laura said: “We worked together every evening and having Ivy around encouraged me. She’s the more motivated one and she would tell me to get on with revision.”

The sisters are both off to the same sixth form college, Langley, where Laura will do English literature, drama and media studies and Ivy plans to do English literature, drama and sociology.

Ivy’s top tip for exam success is to have supportive friends. “My friends are very focused on education,” she said. “That has helped me as when I was younger I messed about and was not very focused.”